1 INTSODUCXIOK.
2 medm, who had ai]tuuml eithor ilntb«ftor the ManttMs hadlmg
3 been m the habit of eddrnming their ooiqikiiite; .andf m later timmh
4 Holcar, himael^ a Maiatta» htdmat m embaaay to aoUoift aMiitanae
5 Bffsnm US.- Bimjeet fiSng^ -iSbk Bfl)ah« br at Jie eaDs hinuri^ .the
6 JKiii^ of the Fmijaiib; toahr a great ahwai at the opannig^oC a iomiiiiii^
7 ntca^cm between two powevv whom he loolced oii aa liiB natmal eBM»
8 Msest and did all Jie ocNddtoeonvineeihftCQiiitof Gaubulof Ae
9 dangerous nature of our designs. The' Haokima o£ Leia» 4if . Ifiouk
10 taon, and of Sind^ (eaah'imagiiiiiig that the embassy coidd have ne
11 other object but to procure the eaorion of his partimdar {nodnce),
12 did what they could to tbwait its nieoeis^ 'and, at the saoie'tmie* the
13 Dooraunee Lords were averse tA an alliance, which might strengdian
14 the King, to the detriment of the aristocracy ; and the King himadtf
15 thought it very natural that we should profit by the internal disseii-
16 tious of a neighbouring kin^Tflom, and endeavour to annex if fo out
17 ein])ire. The exaggeratetl reports he received of the splendour ot the
18 enihfjss\ , and of the sumptuous presents bv which it was accompanit^
19 seetu more than any thing to have determm€Hi the King to admit the
20 mission, an«l to «?ive it an honourable reception. When the nature ot"
21 the embassy r;iine known, tiie King, without laying aside his dis-
22 trust, appears to have entertained a hope that he might derive greater
23 advantage from it tliaii he hud at I'lvsi adverted to ; and, it then be-
24 came an object with each of the ministers to obtain the conduct of
25 the negotiations. ■ ' •• ... . ; .
26 There were two puitke faithe-Goort^ one headed'bjr Aktatn KfaauBt
27 n great Doofaunee- lioid» the aetoal piitne minister ; -and the btherp
28 oomposed of the Persian mtmstevsy wlks'bebig shont-the ISing's per-
29 • son, and entirely dependant oto his fikvonr* possessed a secret-inflD-
30 ence^ wfcKb. thej i^ben employed in of^Kieitaon to Akram'Ehann) •
31 the duef of these warMeer Abool Hassan ^Khaun. This 'last pait^
32 obtiuned the earliest' inlbrmation about the 'eiBbassy, and nanagid to ^
33 leetire the MehouHmdaittree ; bat it was still undetermined who #oidd
34 be entrusted with the negotiatlcm* The Persians took pains to' ocni-
35 viiHSe me that the King was Jealous of AJuram Khaun»' and the graat
36 6 2
37 Digitized by Google